KARACHI: Eyewitness identifies accused in convoy case
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Oct 12: An eye-witness in the corps commander convoy attack case against 11 workers of the banned Jundullah group identified on Wednesday one of the accused as attacker before an anti-terrorism court.
Judge Feroze Mehmood Bhatti of the ATC-2 fixed Oct 19 for the next hearing after the deposition by Captain Salman Masood, who was present in the corps commander’s vehicle.
Identifying accused Shahzad Mukhtar, the prosecution witness deposed that the accused was clad in police uniform and he opened fire on the corps commander’s convoy at the Clifton Bridge.
He said the driver of the corps commander’s vehicle was fatally wounded in the attack. He said he shifted the corps commander into a jeep and drove him to the corps headquarters.
The prosecution witness, who was also cross-examined by defence counsel M. R. Syed and Mushtaq ahmed, submitted that he identified the accused on June 26, 2004 during an identification parade before a judicial magistrate in the Judicial Complex.
The prosecution, represented by Iqtidar Ali Hashmi and Maula Bux Bhatti, has so far, examined 28 prosecution witnesses.
Ataur Rehman alias Ibrahim, Shahzad Ahmed Bajwah, Yaqoob Saeed, Uzair Ahmed, Shoiab Siddiqui, Danish Inam, Najeebullah, Khurrum Saifullah, Shahzad Mukhtar, Khalid Rao and Adnan Shah alias Tipu have been charged with a series of offences, including attack on the motorcade of Lt-Gen Ahsan Saleem Hayat on June 10 last year on the old Clifton bridge, which resulted in the death of six army personnel, three policemen and a passerby.
Mohammed Qasim, Maaz, Shahab, Bilal, Tayyeb, Hammad and Fasih have been declared absconders.
MURDER CASE: Judge Arshad Noor Khan of the ATC-3 put off the hearing of the kidnapping and murder case of a young man against four accused after recording the statement of the investigation officer.
The judge fixed Thursday for the next hearing after the depositions of IO Chaudhry Manzoor, who was also cross-examined by the defence attorneys.
The 30-year-old victim, father of an infant girl, was kidnapped on Oct 10, 2004 when he was on his way on his motorcycle in North Nazimabad. His bullet-riddled body was found at a desolate place near Sohrab Goth on Oct 12 after the victim’s family failed to pay the ransom.
S. M. Iqbal appeared for accused Imran, Khawaja Naveed for accused Fayyaz, and Syed Mohammed Ali Shah for accused Rehan and Jabbar. Special public prosecutor Naimat Ali Randhawa represented the state.
According to prosecution, accused Fayyaz was arrested along with some other suspects on October 19, 2004 in North Nazimabad by a team of anti-violent crime cell (AVCC), who had gone in the vicinity to arrest some other suspects. A kalashnikov rifle and other weapons were recovered from the suspects.
Later, during the interrogation, accused Fayyaz revealed to have kidnapped and murdered Mohammed Ali along with his accomplices. The police on his lead arrested other accused on different dates and also recovered the victim’s bike.
EXTORTION CASE: Judge Haq Nawaz Baloch of the ATC-5 put off the hearing of an extortion case against six alleged associates of Arshad Puppu after the defence counsel completed the cross-examination of a prosecution witnesses.
Accused Riaz son of Sahib, Asghar Niazi son of Qasim, Arshad son of Ashraf, Shahnawaz son of Luqman, Javed son of Abdur Rehman and Nadim son of Shakoor, have been charged with extortion.
The judge fixed Thursday for the next hearing after defence counsel Janan Khan Khattak completed the cross-examination of ASI Saeed Ahmed Khan, who was one of the members of raiding police party.
According to prosecution, the accused demanded Rs1 million from complainant Shaikh Fazal Ellahi, owner of Japan Plastic Factory, situated on Suparco Road in Mauripur police limits.
It was alleged that the accused came to the factory on June 28 and gave the watchman a chit inscribed with the demand of Rs400,000.
The factory owner reported the matter to the police accordingly.
